Drilling apparatus



May 27, 1952 J. c. CURTIS DRILLING APPARATUS 2 SHEETSSHEET1 Filed Aug. 21, 1945 12221 92201 Joim 6 6112 225.

y 1952 J. c. cum-1s 2,598,112

' DRILLING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 21, 1945 2 SHEETS-SHEET2 IZZWZZZOW: e102??? 6. [212 225.

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Patented May 27, 1952 UNITED STATES DRILLING APPARATUS John 0. Curtis, Claremont, N. H., assignor to Joy Manufacturing Company, a corporation of Pennsylvania Application August 21, 1945, Serial No. 611,827 8 Claims. (01. 255-51) This invention relates to drilling apparatus and more particularly has reference to improvements in the drill supporting saddle of a drill jib such as employed in a portable drill supporting apparatus known as a rock drill jumbo. 5

In a portable drill supporting apparatus of the type known as a rock drill jumbo especially designed for use in underground tunnel work, the rock drills are usually supported by adjustable boom frames sometimes known as drill jibs,

so that the rock drills may be supported in any desired drilling position with respect to'the work. The rock drills are usually supported and guided by guide frames which are swivelly mounted on saddles at the outer extremities of the drill jibs so that extreme flexibility in adjustment may be obtained. In such drilling apparatus, it is desirable that the drill jibs may be swung horizontally to locate the rock drills close to the tunnel wall at either side of the tunnel, and such positioning of the rock drills should be expedi-' tiously accomplished without the need for time consuming adjustments and rearrangements of parts.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved drilling apparatus. Another object is to provide an improved drill supporting saddle for a drill jib, whereby upon swinging of the drill jib horizontally to position the drill at either wall of the tunnel, the drill may be 10- cated close to the tunnel wall without the need of substantial rearrangement of parts. A still further object is to provide an improved saddle mounting for a rock drill at the outer extremity of a drill jib and embodying a novel arrangement of the swivel axes whereby extreme flexibility of adjustment is obtained. These and other objects and advantages of the invention will, however, hereinafter more fully appear.

In the accompanying drawings there are shown for purposes of illustration two forms which the invention may assume in practise.

In these drawings:

Fig. l is a fragmentary side elevational view of a drilling apparatus in which an illustrative form of the improved saddle mounting is embodied.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional View taken on line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 44 of Fig. 1.

Fig.5 is a side elevational view similar to Fig.

l, with a portion broken away, illustrating a modified embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 6 is. a horizontal sectional view taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

Fig. '7 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 1 of Fig. 5. r

In both illustrative embodiments of the invention, the improved drill saddle mounting, generally designated l, is shown associated with a swinging boom frame or drill jib 2 of a portable drilling apparatus of the kind known as a rock drill jumbo especially designed for use in underground tunnel work. The drill jib may be similar to that disclosed in my co-pending application Serial No. 563,579, filed November 15, 1944, now matured into Patent Number 2,500,931, granted March 21, 1950. It will be evident, however, that the improved saddle mounting may be associated with other sorts of drilling equipment.

In the illustrative embodiment of th invention shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, the drill jib 2 comprises a boom frame or arm 3 which, as described in the application above referred to, is swivelly mounted for vertical and horizontal swinging movements. of the boom frame 3 is a support 4 suitably journaled for rotation about the longitudinal axis of the boom frame, and a split clamp having an adjusting bolt 5 is provided for rigidly holding the rotatable support in its adjusted position with respect to the boom frame.

Now referring to the improved adjustable saddle mounting I, it will be noted that formed in the rotatable support 4 in advance of the boom frame is a conical socket 6 herein arranged transversely at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the boom frame. This conical socket receives a tapered portion 1 of a saddle frame 8. An adjustable device in the form of an adjusting bolt 9 is provided for securing th tapered portion 1 of the saddle tightly within the socket to hold the saddle frame against movement with respect to the rotatable support, and when the bolt 9 is loosened, the saddle frame 8 may be swung through a substantial angle relative to the rotatable support about an axis at right angles to the axis of support rotation. The saddle frame extends from one side of the rotatable support forwardly in advance of the support and then laterally toward the opposite side, in the manner shown in Fig. 4. Formed on the saddle frame 8, outwardly from its swivel, is a socket H) for receiving a conical swivel plate or swivel trunnion ll of a support I2. Guided at l3 on the saddle frame 8 is a clamp 14 for engaging the swivel plate Ii tightly securing the latter in adjusted position in the socket H). An adjusting device comprising an adjusting bolt I5 is provided for tightening the clamp 14. The square heads 9 and I5 of the bolts 9 and I5 respectively, are arranged between parallel ribs or flanges I6, I6 on the saddle frame so that the bolts are held against rotation, and threaded on the opposite ends of the bolts are usual tightening nuts which may be adjusted as by a suitable Carried at the outer end either wall of the tunnel.

wrench. The swivel axis A of the swivel plate I l, in this improved construction, lies in a longitudinal plane P which includes the longitudinal axis B of the boom frame 3 and the axis of rotation C of the rotatable support t. The swivel axis D of the saddle frame and the swivel plate axis A lie in parallel planes P and P which are perpendicular to the longitudinal plane P including the axis of support rotation C when the boom frame 3 is in the horizontal position shown in Fig. 1. By loosening the clamp bolt 5, the rotatable support 4, together with the drill mounting supported thereby, may be turned through 360 with respect to the boom frame 3.

In this instance, carried by the swivel plate support I2 is a conventional guide frame l8 for a hammer rock drill is. The rock drill may be of any conventional design and may be fed either manually or by power. Herein, a feed screw 20, operated by a hand crank 2!, is provided for feeding the rock drill back and forth along the guideway of the guide frame in a well known manner. The rock drill includes a usual hammer motor 22 for percussively actuating a usual drill steel 23 which carries a drill bit. By the particular arrangement of the swivel axes of the improved saddle mounting, the rock drill may be symmetrically arranged with respect to the boom frame of the drill jib so that by a simple adjustment of the parts, the boom frame may be swung horizontally to position the rock drill close to This may be accomplished without rearrangement or reversal of parts of the saddle mounting simply by adjusting the clamping bolts s and 15. No reversal of the rock drill to the opposite side of the boom frame or end for end with respect to the boom frame is necessary. Also, by similar relatively simple adjustments, the rock drill may be readily located in drilling positions close to the tunnel roof or tunnel floor.

In the modified embodiment of the invention, shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7, the saddle mounting is generally similar to that above described and similar advantages in drill adjustment may be I obtained thereby. In this construction, however, a saddle frame 25 extends upwardly instead of forwardly so that when the boom frame is horizontal, as shown in Fig. 5, the axis E of the swivel plate or trunnion ll lies in a vertical plane P3 including the swivel axis F of the saddle frame. Such arrangement of the saddle frame enables a somewhat greater range of tilt of the rock drill about the saddle frame axis with respect to the saddle support As in the other embodiment, the axes F and E of the saddle frame and the swivel plate each lie in a plane P which includes the longitudinal axis B of the boom frame 3. When the saddle 25 is tilted into the dotted line position shown in Fig. 5, the swivel axis E of the swivel plate H is in alignment with the longitudinal axis B of the boom frame 3.

In both embodiments by the novel arrangement of the swivel axes of the saddle mounting, it is possible to locate expeditiously the rock drill in drilling positions close to either wall of the tunnel. The novel saddle structure enables a wide range of adjustment of the rock drill with respect to the drill jib so that holes may be drilled at any desired location in the working face. The structure is not only extremely compact but is also simple and rugged in design. Other manners of use and advantages of the improved saddle mounting will be clearly apparent to those skilled in. the art.

While there are in this application specifically described two forms which the invention may assume in practise, it will be understood that these forms of the same are shown for purposes of illustration and the invention may be modified and embodied in various other forms without departing from its spirit or the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

i. In a drill saddle mounting, the combination comprising a support having an outer end, a saddle frame, means for swivelly mounting said saddle frame on said support to turn about an axis transverse to said support, a drill support, and means for swivelly mounting said drill support on said saddle frame to turn about an axis disposed, in at least one position of said saddle frame, in advance of said outer end of said first 1 entioned support with said last mentioned axis at right angles to a line parallel with said swivel axis and lying in a plane parallel to said swivel axis of said saddle frame, said plane in which the axis of said drill support lies, when said saddle frame is in said one position, falling beyond the outside limits of said outer end of said first mentioned support.

2. In a drill saddle mounting, the combination comprising a rotatable support, a saddle frame, means for swivelly mounting said saddle frame on said rotatable support to swing relative thereto about an axis transverse to said support, a drill support, and means for swivelly mounting said drill support on said saddle frame to turn relative thereto about an axis perpendicular to the axis of rotation of said first mentioned support and disposed at right angles to said swivel axis of said saddle frame, the axis of rotation of said first support and the swivel axis of said drill support lying in a common plane.

3. In a drill saddle mounting, the combination comprising a rotatable support, a saddle frame, means for swivelly mounting said saddle frame on said rotatable support to swing relative thereto about an axis transverse to said support, a drill support, and means for swivelly mounting said drill support on said saddle frame to turn relative thereto about an axis perpendicular to the axis of rotation of said first mentioned support, said axis of said drill support located, in at least one position of said saddle frame, in advance of said outer end of said first support, and said swivel axis of said saddle frame and said swivel axis of said drill support lying in parallel planes at right angles to said axis of said rotatable support, and the plane in which the swivel axis of said drill support lies falling beyond the outside limits of said outer end of said rotatable support.

4. In a drill saddle mounting, the combination comprising a support having a longitudinal axis, a saddle frame, means for swivelly mounting said saddle frame on said support to swing relative thereto about an axis transverse to said support, said saddle frame including a frame portion extending from one side of said support transversely across a plane in which said support axis lies toward the opposite side of said support, a drill support, and means for swivelly mounting said drill support on said saddle frame on said transverse portion thereof with the swivel axis of said drill support lying in said plane, said swivel axis of said drill support disposed at right angles to a line parallel with said swivel axis of said saddle frame.

5. In a drill saddle mounting, a support rotatable about a longitudinal axis, a saddle frame, means for swivelly mounting said saddle frame on said rotatable support to swing relative thereto about an axis transverse to said support, said saddle frame including a frame portion extending from one side of said support transversely across a plane in which said longitudinal axis of support rotation lies toward the opposite side of said sup port, a drill support, and means for swivelly mounting said drill support on said saddle frame on said transverse portion thereof with the swivel axis of said drill support lying in said plane, the swivel axis of said saddle frame and the swivel axis of said drill support arranged in right-angular relation.

6. In a drill saddle mounting, a support having a longitudinal axis, a saddle frame, means for swivelly mounting said saddle frame on said support to turn about an axis at right angles to said longitudinal axis, a drill support, and means for swivelly mounting said drill support on said saddle frame to swing about an axis lying in aplane which include said longitudinal axis, said swivel axis of said saddle frame disposed at a right angle to said plane.

7. In a drill saddle mounting, a support having a longitudinal axis, a saddle frame, means for swivelly mounting said saddle frame on said support to swing about a transverse axis at right angles to said longitudinal axis, a drill support, and means for swivelly mountingsaid drill support on said saddle frame, said drill support 6 swingable with said saddle frame into a position wherein the swivel axis of said drill support is in alignment with said longitudinal axis.

8. In a drill saddle mounting, a support having a longitudinal axis, a saddle frame, means for swivelly mounting said saddle frame on said support to swing about a transverse axis at right angles to said longitudinal axis, a drill support, and means for swivelly mounting said drill support on said saddle frame, said longitudinal axis and the swivel axis of said drill support lying in a common plane to which said transverse axis i perpendicular.

JOHN C. CURTIS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

